In its broadest sense, globalization refers to the rapid growth of linkages and interconnections between nations and social communities which make up the present world system. Thus, any meaningful discussion of globalization must begin with a recognition that it may mean different things to different people: For some it refers primarily to the vast spread of global communication. Others think it best conveys the homogenization of consumer cultures. For still others, it is mostly a way of drawing attention to the emerging consciousness of our mutual dependence on the life support system of a small planet. Many others believe it …
Globalization and Culture addresses the cultural exchanges that accompany the globalization of markets with the expansion of financial systems, means of communication, movements of people and radical changes in global geo-politics. Working assumptions about culture are teased out by introductory remarks on language, values and philosophy. Then, concepts emerging in the studies and debates over the impact of globalization on culture(s) are organized around the notion that the economic exchanges promoted by the globalization of the economy are accompanied by a cultural exchange in which the developed nations import greater cultural diversity from around the globe while exporting to the …
Economic globalization promises increasing material affluence to those who adopt its assumptions. Opponents discount the promises claiming that they are realized by only a few and includes environmental degradation. For those concerned for justice and environmental integrity there are very real abuses, and they stem from basic, taken for granted assumptions about nature. Both the structures of globalization and the basic assumptions that guide it are in need of change.
Globalization and international trade are realities of today's world. In this report, globalization is defined as the process by which people, nations, and economies throughout the world become ever more connected and integrated. Although often driven by economics, globalization includes spiritual, cultural, political, and human welfare dimensions. This report and the recommendations are to provide ethical insight for individual Christians and a set of responses for churches and the larger church through its agencies. As Christians, we understand that what happens to people in the process of being "integrated" is a key criterion by which globalization must be measured. We …
At the beginning of the twenty-first century, some of the core principles the church has tried to uphold in relation to money lending are the victims of a perverse reversal of moral logic. In too many contemporary lending practices, not only are the poor charged interest (against the theological and ethical wisdom of the church), but they are also charged more interest than those who live in more favorable economic circumstances.
In 1952, the PCUSA Assembly urged a ". . . greater emphasis upon free collective bargaining in labor-management relations," and that Presbyterians ". . . participate more actively in management organizations and labor unions as an expression of Christian vocation. . ." (PCUSA, 1952, p. 204). The first statement of the PCUS on work in the postwar period came in 1953 when its General Assembly directed that ". . . churches undertake the responsibility of impressing men, women and young people of the value and significance of daily work as Christian vocation . . ." (PCUS, 1953, p. 92). Meanwhile, …
Whether it's your first mission trip outside the United States, or your fifth, you have choices about how you witness, and how you understand the realities of what you encounter. Witness with compassion and wisdom, and you will receive (spiritual) gifts from even the poorest people in the most destitute places. Witness with awareness of the "flip" side-the long-term goals and the short-term concerns of Just Globalization-and you will bring back a personal experience that may just change the world! This is a very brief introduction to globalization-the economic, cultural and spiritual bonds and connections that bring new opportunities, but …
In a time of continuing, deep economic recession, our faith gives us strength to face unemployment, poverty, and anxiety - not simply as individuals, but as a community with an ethical memory rooted in the Gospel. Understanding the economy as a servant of creation's flourishing enables us to question the necessity of widening inequality and continued poverty, to look at the moral consequences of these trends on society and the church, and to propose greater democratic accountability for financial institutions that are called to serve the common good and depend ultimately on public funds and confidence. Informed by the historical …
The 220th GA (2012) adopted this resolution in response to economic crisis and the underlying distorted value system that has taken hold, spreading reckless consumerism, deep insecurity and extreme inequalities across America. Understanding communion as our base, it calls for a new covenant to seek a sustainable stewardship society shaped for the common good, with recommendations to help employment, families, neighbors and the church itself.
This report contains an ethical and economic case for a fairer tax code. Using data sets on poverty, inequality, and the effects of taxation, and using criteria derived from long-standing Biblical and theological commitments, the report addresses personal and corporate tax issues, and puts them in international context. The pages that follow begin with the policy positions printed in bold type, and then follow with supporting data analysis and documentation. An appendix looks at the Protestant Christian traditions that inspired support for our nation’s first permanent progressive income tax more than a century ago.